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Policy should benefit patients in long run

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Tuesday May 27, 2014 6:23 AM

The May 18
Dispatch article “Please pay first, more hospitals say,” reported that local hospitals
have started charging co-pays for medical services prior to the service being provided. This
article outlined one of the many changes in store for consumers as the American health-care system
continues on its path of reform.

The initial reaction most have is how such a policy may make the services unaffordable.

In an effort to increase their efficiencies and decrease billing costs, hospitals simply are
trying to decrease their costs of providing services. Arguably, this may lead to a reduction in the
overall cost of care. A positive outcome of this new policy might be an increased awareness of
health-care costs by patients who seek that care.

If a hospital is going to ask for payment in advance, this presumes that the hospital knows in
advance the cost of the service. The facility will need to check with the patient’s insurance
carrier about its standard fee allowance for that service prior to asking the patient for a
payment. So, the insurance carrier and the hospital will be more transparent. And the patient will
be more informed about how much the service will cost.

Armed with this information, the patient may be able to shop around for less-costly forms of the
same service at different facilities. Private competition among health-care providers, a feature
not normally present in today’s health-care system, is enhanced.